As healthy as I try to be, fries have always been a weakness of mine. I even admit to having a bag of frozen crinkle cut fries in the freezer every now and then. The combo of crunchiness, saltiness and really the vehicle for ketchup is what I crave. To keep the frozen fries habit under control, sweet potato and zucchini fries have become a regular week night side. Crunchy, a reasonable amount of salty AND each have actual nutrition benefits. Here’s my simple zucchini fries recipe….

I love to cook, but admit that my weeknight menus can become stale. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, relying on your tried and true prep methods! Before you know it you’re unintentionally having turkey tip Mondays, grilled chicken salad Tuesdays and home-made pizza Wednesdays. Just this happened in our house a few weeks ago. When I told my husband salmon was the dinner plan (which means simple broiled salmon) I came home to an enthusiastic suggestion of “let’s try making salmon burgers!” He’d even done some research and was ready to lead the charge. We’ve made them several times since, modifying the recipe until we got it just right. So, here’s my husband’s salmon burger recipe–super easy for weeknights and perfect for grilling…

This is one of those super easy recipes that goes with anything during any season. I love this side dish during the Winter with roasts and pork. During the Summer, I enjoy this as the veggie side accompanying a lobster dinner (come on summer, I can’t wait). Or, I make a big batch over the weekend and scoop the veggies into kale salads for work lunches during the week. And, the finished product is full of vibrant colors and just pretty, making a great addition to any dinner table….

My husband’s family is Armenian and before I met him I’d never had food like lamb, shish kabob, stuffed grape leaves or eggplant (outside of eggplant parmesan). Good thing I married into this heritage because I’ve fallen in love with his family’s cooking! This recipe, lahmejoun, is a family favorite and is essentially Armenian pizza. Lahmejoun is great sliced up as appetizers, wrapped with greens for lunch or just a snack. My husband’s mom and grandma always have some in the freezer. At every family gathering (even after a GIANT meal) the lahmejoun is pulled out of the freezer and all the cousins go for round two. It’s become a comfort food to me that I’ve introduced to friends and family who are now also in love. Seriously, some regularly ask when I’m going to make it again!

I’ve been known to skip out on super bowl parties to instead enjoy a quiet night by myself. I know, crazy sounding for a native New Englander where everyone lives and breaths all things Patriots and Red Sox! This year I got into the spirit, which for me means making a big batch of pulled chicken to share with everyone. I originally found this recipe years ago, and have perfected my own crock pot version that anyone can conquer…

Whenever I encounter a vegetable that I don’t love, I become determined to find a way to love it! Cauliflower has been one of those for me. Whether steamed, roasted, mixed with other veggies, mashed on it’s own, as cauliflower rice….it’s just blaah to me. I came across a few recipes that involved mashing cauliflower and sweet potato together. My love of sweet potatoes (and any mashed potato) encouraged me to give it a try. Here’s what I came up with…Greek yogurt is my secret ingredient that pulls this together while keeping things healthy…

Generally, I’m a pretty efficient grocery shopper, buying what we need and using perishable items before they go bad. But, sometimes I get a little over zealous in the produce section and come home with WAY too many fruits and veggies. During squash season, I pretty much need one of every squash variety (dumpling is a favorite). I usually have plans for all the items, but the work week can sabotage cooking time. So, I have a few recipes that help to clean out the fridge and to rescue food from being wasted. Eggplant pizza is one that makes a pretty large batch, perfect for bringing to work for lunch!